


forget what you heard about modern love

by stefonzolesky



Category: 21 Jump Street (Movies), Arrested Development
Genre: Coming Out, M/M, Miscommunication, Thanks, hot cops, it's a get-together fic, selfish michael, tags will be added as i update, title from moving in the dark by neon trees
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-24
Updated: 2018-05-24
Packaged: 2019-05-13 09:06:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14745914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stefonzolesky/pseuds/stefonzolesky
Summary: Gob has landed in the back of a car, or a seedy motel more times than he can count. He feels dirty.





	1. i'm not gonna lose sleep over sentiment

**Author's Note:**

  * For [luxuryproblems](https://archiveofourown.org/users/luxuryproblems/gifts).



> the arrested development/21 jump street crossover literally one (1) person asked for  
> special thanks to spencer the bastard man for having me write this and also giving me a setting for it to happen in because for some reason i forgot the hot cops were a thing??? i'm dumb

Gob doesn’t usually get his breath taken by strangers.

 

Upon a new dancer joining the group, Bix announces, “This is Greg. He’s new,” and it’s as long an introduction as any Hot Cop gets.

“Jenko is fine,” the guy says, and _fuck_ , his voice is incredible.

He’s wearing a tank-top -- it _is_ the middle of summer in California, Gob wouldn’t be surprised if he had his shirt completely off -- and he has freckles on his shoulders, similar to Gob’s own. Except, his shoulders are broader, his arms are more filled out.

Gob stands up (read: stumbles) to greet him, stuttering out his own name awkwardly over a shake of Jenko’s hand. Jenko looks at him strange, but says, “Nice to meet you, man,” anyway.

Bix rolls his eyes. He knows Gob well, he knows Gob is easily flustered.

 

The first night Jenko spends out with the guys, they go to some sketchy gay club, and Gob is the only other person drinking just beer.

(Jenko has a very convincing fake.)

“Why are you part of all this?” Jenko asks him, two or three beers in.

Gob shrugs and takes another sip of his drink. He sets it down on the bar in front of him, rhymically drumming his fingers. “It’s a side thing. I need the cash.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Jenko says. He throws back some of his beer and wipes his mouth on the back of his hand. “One day, I’m gonna be a cop. A real one.”

“I’m gonna be a famous magician,” Gob tells him. It seems implausible as he says it, but it’s his goal, and he’s working as hard as he can towards it.

Their bottles knock together.

“Cheers,” Jenko says. “To attaining your goals, or some bullshit like that.”

 

Time passes in a strange way that night, in a way that Gob isn’t used to.

Gob vaguely remembers ordering something hard with the intention of getting drunk just to kill time, and after a few, admitting that he’s really just in it for the attention, that the cash is just a plus side, that his family is rich, and that he all he wants is for someone to call him pretty. He remembers Jenko calling him pretty.

He remembers Jenko’s lips, Jenko’s breath warm against his face.

He’s a sloppy kisser, he tastes like alcohol. He’s less experienced than he appears to be. Just a year out of high school.

Gob has landed in the back of a car, or a seedy motel more times than he can count. He feels dirty.

 

Gob doesn’t wake up in a seedy motel the next morning, and he doesn’t find himself walking in the cold from the back of a car that night. Instead, he wakes up to find himself in a shitty apartment, a cold spot in the bed next to him and the smell of bacon and sound of Backstreet Boys drifting into the room.

He pushes himself out of bed. Jenko is in front of the stove, in sweatpants and shirtless, and Gob feels his heart stop momentarily.

“You’re nineteen, right?” He asks.

Jenko drops a hot spatula on his foot.

“Fuck!” He shouts, biting hard on his lower lip. He picks his foot up awkwardly in his hand, as if that will make it stop hurting, and leans against the counter to support himself. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m nineteen.”

Gob nods as he perches himself awkwardly on a stool in front of another counter. “Should I… should I leave?”

Jenko frowns, studying Gob’s face. He tentatively places his foot back on the ground. “Why would you leave?”

“I mean…” Gob’s tongue dries out. “With this being a one night stand, and all, I just thought…” He falters.

“Oh.”

Jenko switches the stove off. He smiles sadly down at his bare feet, hands down between the two counters. He pushes himself up so he’s swinging. Like a distraction. “Right, yeah. One night stand. That’s -- I knew that.” He laughs, and then echoes himself quieter. “I knew that.”

Gob’s heart is caught in his throat.

“Or--” He says, in a weak attempt to cover up the miscommunication, or whatever it was. “--or, not. It could be… more than a one time thing.”

The thing is, that’s not like him. Gob has never been more than a one-night-stand kind of guy. He sleeps with people, and then he sneaks out, and that’s _it._

But now he’s here. He’s here, in this house, with this boy a handful younger than him, and he’s completely fucking enamoured. So, the words “it could be more than a one time thing” come out of his mouth far easier than they should.

Jenko nods slowly, staying quiet for a moment, and then offers up a plate to Gob. Their gazes meet again. “Breakfast?”

Gob feels warm, he feels electric.

“Yeah,” He says, taking the plate. “Thanks.”

 


	2. a shred of hope, a little bit of sweetness

They have this… thing.

It isn’t exclusive, but it’s scarily similar to dating -- almost too similar for Gob’s taste, he’s never been a great boyfriend, and dating means he would have to tell his parents at some point. That’s a conversation he’s never going to look forward to having.

But Gob doesn’t leave Jenko’s house in the early hours of the morning, and sometimes on his way over, he picks up groceries. They talk on the phone, they watch movies together.

It’s fucking terrifying. Gob’s heart is in his throat half the time he’s with Jenko, because this isn’t something he’s used to.

The thing about relationships is that, even though Gob doesn’t fare incredibly well in them, he finds himself innately jealous of other people’s relationships. Like, for example, selfish Michael and his wife and kid. Gob would be terrible in that situation, but he’ll be fucked if he doesn’t want it.

Obviously, he doesn’t tell Michael that. Michael would be terrible about it. Michael would be smug and stupid and rub it in Gob’s face.

So, he tells Lindsay instead.

 

Lindsay gives a heavy sigh into the phone, audibly pouring herself a glass of vodka. “He’s just the worst, right? Like, I have a family. I have a kid. I’m not bragging about it like he is.” She hesitates. “You’re not doing too good romantically, huh?”

“Kind of,” Gob admits. His chest tightens. “I’ve been seeing someone, but it’s not really official yet.”

“Ooh! Tell me about her.”

Gob frowns. “We, uh,” He tries to formulate a lie. “Met at a bar. I slept with her. We… Yeah. And we’ve been spending a lot of time together, I’m spending nights at h-- her house, sometimes. Instead of with Michael, or strangers. It’s been nice.”

Lindsay sighs. “That’s good. I’m glad you’re doing good.”

“Are you really?” Gob asks.

Lindsay pauses.

“No,” She says. “But what does that matter?”

Gob starts to say, “I guess it doesn’t,” but there’s crying on the other end of the phone, and Lindsay says, “Shit, fuck, I h--” and the line goes dead.

 

Gob sighs and slams the phone down. He slumps on the stool.

“Who was that?” Jenko asks through a mouthful of cereal. Gob frowns -- he almost forgot Jenko was over at the model home, while Michael is at work.

“Just my sister,” Gob says. “She lives in Boston.”

Jenko nods, sitting on the stool next to Gob. “Are you two close.”

Gob almost lies, but decides better of it. “No, not even a little bit. She never visits, and when she does, she doesn’t even tell me she’s in town. I always find out by accident.”

Jenko frowns, shoving another spoonful of cereal into his mouth. “That sucks balls.”

Gob hums in agreement. Then, he says, “Do you wanna go see a movie tonight?”

Jenko pauses his chewing, and then nods. “Is your brother gonna be back?”

“Yeah,” Gob says. He frowns. “We should leave before he gets home from work. Finish your cereal.”

Jenko nods, changing the pacing of his spooning as Gob searches for his shoes.

 

Jenko wants to hold hands in the streets. Gob feels bad for denying him that, but he’s never been much for PDA -- at least, not living where he grew up, where someone he knows could show up at any moment and he would be left unprepared. 

He knows this is especially true when he runs into person after person that he knows. He’s sure that Jenko can see him shrink back.

Jenko stops asking to hold his hand.

 

One day, when Gob knows exactly where everyone is, he grabs Jenko’s hand. Michael is at work, Tracey is watching their newborn son, his dad is at work, his mom and Buster are at a Motherboy convention. So, Gob grabs Jenko’s hand.

“Are we boyfriends now?” Jenko asks, sounding meek.

Gob’s mouth feels like the Sahara.

“Maybe,” He says biddably. “If you want. I don’t want to impose--”

“There’s no imposing,” Jenko interrupts. “You’re fine. I’d love to be your boyfriend.”

A familiar cough works its way into Gob’s ears from behind him. He drops Jenko’s hand like it’s on fire and spins on a heel to face his sister.

“Lindsay,” He blurts. “I thought you weren’t visiting until next month!”

“Mom got us an early flight in,” Lindsay explains, looking pleased with herself. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?”

Gob clears his throat, glances at Jenko, and opens his mouth, but before he can say anything, Jenko is already stepping forward with a hand out for her to shake.

“Jenko,” He says. “You’re Lindsay, right? I’ve heard some nice things about you.”

It’s a clear lie, but Lindsay is visibly flattered nonetheless.

“He’s hot,” Lindsay says bluntly in Gob’s direction, but her eyes trail Jenko until the last second, where they flit over to her brother. “How’d you bag him? You’re… you.”

Gob opens his mouth again, but Jenko swoops in once more with, “We’ve worked some odd jobs together. Your brother is a great guy.”

Lindsay laughs. “You have  _ got _ to be kidding me.”

Her face falls when neither of them laugh along with her.

“Oh, you’re serious,” She says. “You’re -- you really like him!”

Jenko glances at Gob warmly and responds, “Yeah, I really do.”

**Author's Note:**

> i'm not sure where I'm going with this or how often it will be updated but. here we go.


End file.
